I. Field of the Invention
The invention is directed to an electronic portable device which is capable of monitoring standard bingo cards. In particular, the invention is directed to an electronic device for assisting individuals in the playing of bingo where a number of cards and a number of games are played during a session.
II. Description of the Prior Art
Bingo has developed in recent years from a game played primarily by friends for enjoyment or token prizes to a commercial form of entertainment. Commercial bingo is played in special private bingo parlors and at religious and charitable organiza- tions.
This commercialization of bingo has enticed large number of people to play on a regular basis. In order to increase their chances of winning many people play more than one card during a game. However, these players usually play no more than twelve cards at one time since it is difficult to manage substantially more cards during a game. A bingo card is a square that is divided into a 5.times.5 matrix. The numbers in the first column range from 1 to 15 and the numbers in the second column from 16 to 30. The third column contains numbers from 31 to 45 and the fourth column has numbers from 46 to 60. The final column has numbers 61 to 75. The space in the center of the board is blank and contains no number.
There are two predominant types of bingo cards. The traditional card is referred to as a "hard card". These cards are usually manufactured from cardboard or plastic and are designed to be collected after each session for subsequent reuse. A session usually involves the playing of a number of games. Each card usually has an identification number which corresponds to the number configuration shown on the card. These number configurations and identification numbers are standard among most bingo card manufacturers. That is, a manufacturer uses the same identification number to always represent a particular number configuration and many of the manufacturers have jointly adopted a common identification number system.
The second type of cards are referred to as "padded paper cards". These cards are manufactured from paper and are designed to be thrown away after each game. A player at the beginning of the session purchases one or more pads of cards. Each pad is composed of a number of different colored sheets. The top sheet is to be used for the first game. After the first game, the top sheet is discarded and the next sheet is used for the second game. This process continues until all of the sheets have been used and the session ends.
The paper sheets usually have more than one bingo board or bingo card per sheet. Each board on the top sheet has a corresponding board on each subsequent sheet. Although the corresponding boards are not related, their respective identification numbers of the boards on the sheets are numerically related. That is, each board has an equal displacement from the previous board on the sheet. For example, if the top sheet contains boards with identification numbers 100, 151, 325 and 670 then the next sheet will contain boards with identification numbers 200, 251, 425 and 770. The third sheet could contain boards 235, 286, 460 and 805. Like the hard cards, the manufacturers of the paper cards usually use the same identification number for the same configuration. Also, like the hard cards, many manufacturers have adopted a common set of identification numbers and number configuration combinations.
In light of bingo's popularity, there have been several proposals for devices which are capable of managing a number of bingo cards. One such device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,378,940. This device can only be used at a limited number of bingo parlors. To use the device special bingo cards must be used so that the number patterns can be read by the unit. This makes the device of limited use since few parlors have the special cards which are required.
A second device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,475,157. This device utilizes a manual input system which requires that each number from each card be manually entered into the memor of the unit. This manual entry procedure is undesirable since it takes a long time to enter a number of cards. It would be almost impossible to reprogram the machine between games when a player has several paper pads of cards that need monitoring.
The present invention is advantageous for a number of reasons. First, it allows a bingo player to manage a large number of cards. Second, it facilitates the entry of the number configuration on a card into the unit memory. Third, it allows the player to select or design any possible wirering combination of board positions. Fourth, the unit can be adopted for use with any card manufacturer's identification number designation system. And finally, it can be economically produced and can be operated after the user learns only a couple of simple commands.